Soaking pit cover and method of making same



Sept. 26, 1944. F. JANTEK ErAL. 2,359,113

SOAKING PIT COVER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Sept 26, 1944 F. JANTEK ETALSOAKING PIT COVER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed July 3, 1942 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 26, 1944 SOAKING PIT COVER AND METHOD FMAKING SIAME Frank Jantek and George G. Lloyd, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application July 3, 1942, `Serial No. 449,634

3 Claims. '(Cl. 29-148) The present invention relates to the specificfeatures of improvement in soaking pit covers and to a novel methodwhereby such covers may be quickly and economically fabricated. Thevarious features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from aconsideration of the follswing detail disclosure, the accompanyingdrawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings: A

Figure l is a plan view illustrating one step in the novel method offabricating the improved cover;

Flgure 2 is a similar plan view illustrating the cover after the samehas been put to use in the soaking pit;

Figures 3 and i are sectional views throughn a soaking pit taken on thecorrespondingly numbered section lines of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail illustrative of the manner of unitinglongitudinal and transverse frame members of the improved soaking pitcover; and

Figure 6 is a section on line VTI-VI of Figure 5, the broken linesshowing the original cross sectional contour of the rolled steel sectionfrom which the cover frame is fabricated.

Heretofore soaking pit covers have usually comprised cast iron frames ofsectional form bolted together auf?. lined with suitable firebrick. Suchcast iron frames warp or become distorted in practice under theinfluence of the intense heat to which the covers are subjected duringthe heating or relocating of ingots charged to ie soaking pit.

The chief characteristic of the present invention is that the soakingpit frame is constructed of a plurality of rolled steel nanged sections,securable in stock sizes, and united in such mam ner that an inwardcamber is imparted to said sections as later set forth.

While not limited thereto, relatively heavy ii-sections are preferablyemployed and the flanges thereof are cut away to suit the dimensions othe pit to be covered. In fabricating the soaking pit cover according tothe invention, we regard it essential to impart an inward camber to therolled steel frame members and to integrally secure the thus camberedparts together, preferably by welded joints at corners. This method ofmanufacture thus places the longitudinal and transverse frame members'ff-nder an internal strain acting inwardly due to such vcambering ofthe parts. After the cover is subsequently put in service and subjectedto a high degree of heat during the treatment of ingots in the soakingpit, the intense heat stresses the metal members in a direction oppositeto that in which they were prestressed by the cambering. Thus the forcesof expansion in normal operation are neutralized and the frame membersof the cover straighten out.

As shown in Figure 1, in building the improved pit cover according t0our method, we, provide a pair of longitudinal frame members lil--I andtransverse members- I2-l2. These members are fabricated from stock sizecommercial rolled steel H-sections which originally have the crosssectional contourv indicated by the broken lines in Figure 6. Portionsof the top and bottom anges are cut off so as to leave the metal shownby the hatched :portions in Figure 6.

The ends of the top and bottom flanges of the longitudinal members arecut or beveled off, for example, as indicated along the oblique line I4in Figure 5. Similarly the ends of the transverse members l2 are cut offon an oblique line, as indicated by the line it in Figure 5. lThe lineI6 is a substantially true 45 degree miter, whereas the line I4 makes anangle of less than i5 degrees with the parallel edges of the anges ofthe member ill. Thus the oblique lines I4 and I6 converge outwardlytoward the corner where the members l0 and I2 meet. This convergedarrangement of the opposed beveled edges of the top and bottom flangesfacilitates the carnbering of the sections, which is regarded as one ofthe outstanding essential characteristics of the invention. Thecontiguous ends of the sections IU and i2 are then welded together atthe four corners, the welds being indicated at I8. After the top andbottom anges of all sections have been welded at the four corners, asubstantially square or rectangular frame will have been produced, suchas shown in Figure '1,' it being noted, however, that the magnitude ofinward camber in the drawings has been exaggerated for illus'- trativepurposes. The inner area bound by the thus cambered frame is then filledwith an arched brick lining, indicated at 2D. The end skew backs 22 ofthe brickwork arch rest on the lower inner anges of the frame membersand also react horizontally against the web portions 24. In some casesthese web portions will have bars 25 welded or otherwise secured theretoto interiit with grooves formed in the skewback brick so as to interlockthe same therewith. After the improved soaking pit cover made inaccordance with our improved method has been subjected to the intenseheat of a soaking pit furnace during the normal treatment of ingots, the

frame members will be expanded to a sufiicient extent so as topractically straighten them out to the condition shown in Figure 2,wherein it is noted that the originally cambered members now form asubstantially true square or rectangular frame.

While we have described the exact steps in the method and precisestructural features which practical adoption of the invention has shownto be highly advantageous, it is to be understood that variousmodiications in the manufacturing procedure and modifications as tofea.- tures of structure and adoption of mechanical equivalents may beresorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A soaking pit cover comprising a substantially rectangular frarnecomposed of longitudinal and transverse rolled steel sections, eachhaving top and bottom flanges united by an integral web, the ends of theflanges being welded to one another and each section being inwardlycambered so as to compensate for the expansion of the cover when in use,and a body of brickwork iilling the space between the webs of theseveral sections.

2. A soaking pit cover comprising a substantially rectangular framecomposed of longitudinal and transverse rolled steel sections, eachhaving top and bottom ilanges united by an integral web, the ends of theflanges being cut off at angles oblique to their parallel edges. Weldedjoints uniting said flanges along theirl contiguous oblique edges, saidsections each being inwardly cambered so as toy compensate for theexpansion of the cover. when in use, and a body of brickwork filling thespace between the webs of the several sections.

3. The method of making a rectangular soaking pit cover, which comprisesproviding respective pairs of straight longitudinal and transverserolled steel flanged H-shaped sections. cutting off parallel marginalportions from the outer edges of each of said Ilanges throughout therespective lengths thereof, cutting the ends of the thus-altered flangesalong converging mitre-like oblique lines, imparting a camber to each ofsaid sections in the direction of convergence of said lines, and Weldingthe oblique edges of the longitudinal and transverse sections to oneanother to retain the respective cambers imparted thereto.

FRANK JANTEK. GEORGE G. LLOYD.

